Carlos Beltran will not be in the St. Louis Cardinals starting lineup for tonight’s Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Beltran is "still sore," won't start, but will be available to pinch hit. #stlcards #nlcs #cardinals—
Derrick Goold (@dgoold) October 18, 2012

Carpenter will start at first base, Craig moves to right for #Cardinals #nlcs—
Derrick Goold (@dgoold) October 18, 2012

Beltran left Game 3 on Wednesday after straining his left knee. His replacement, Matt Carpenter, hit a 2-run home run in the Cardinals’ 3-1 win.

In a text message to Goold late Wednesday night, Beltran said he’d try to be in the Game 4 lineup after an MRI showed no structural damage to the knee. The 15-year MLB veteran’s postseason prowess has been at the heart of the Cardinals’ run at a second straight World Series championship.

Beltran has established a ridiculously high standard for postseason performance. His career numbers are, as they say, off the charts: 31 games, 138 plate appearances, .375 batting average, .486 onbase percentage and an .830 slugging percentage with 14 homers in 112 at-bats.

Beltran has been the Cardinals’ best player this postseason, batting .400 with a .486 onbase pct. and .867 slugging pct. He’s homered three times, doubled five times, walked six times, scored seven runs and produced six RBIs.

It seems hard to believe, but with a stolen base in the second inning of Friday’s game against the Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Carlos Beltran became the first switch-hitter in major league history to reach 300 home runs and 300 steals.

It was Beltran’s seventh steal of the season. He has a league-leading 19 home runs in this year and 321 for his career.

Incredibly, there are only nine switch hitters who have 300 career home runs, and of those nine only four others might be considered base-stealing threats. Mickey Mantle had just 153 career steals; Chipper Jones, Reggie Smith and Ruben Sierra were threats early in their careers but stalled at fewer than 150 career steals. (The still-active Jones has 149.)

When asked at a New York charity event whether he was worried that Mets fans would feel betrayed that he signed with the team that knocked them out of the 2006 NLCS, Carlos Beltran said that Mets fans should just move on, according to the New York Daily News.

“Actually, I’m not thinking about the fans, I’m thinking about myself,” Beltran said, according to the Daily News. “I just want to have the opportunity to be in the playoffs. What happened in 2006, you have to turn the page. That’s over. We can’t bring 2006 back to 2012. It has been six years. If they want to continue to think about that moment, then that’s their problem. Like I said, I have turned the page. I have really moved on.”

The Mets, who were heavy favorites, fell to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games in the 2006 NLCS. Beltran famously struck out to end the series in the bottom of the ninth at Shea Stadium.

Despite boasting a talented young team at the time, the Mets imploded in back-to-back seasons in 2007 and 2008, failing to make the playoffs despite strong first halves. The team has not been to the playoffs since.

The St. Louis Cardinals and centerfielder Carlos Beltran have agreed on a two-year contract, according to Derrick Goold of St. Lous Post-Dispatch.

#Cardinals and Beltran have agreed upon a two-year deal, according to sources. News posted on Stltoday.com #stlcards—
Derrick Goold (@dgoold) December 23, 2011

Beltran, 34, has been a hot commodity on the free agent market, especially drawing interest from St. Louis after slugger Albert Pujols departed to join the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

The Cleveland Indians had entered the mix earlier Thursday, but Beltran has reportedly decided to join the Cardinals instead.

The Cleveland Indians have reportedly entered the mix in the effort to sign free-agent outfielder Carlos Beltran, according to Fox Sports.

It was reported yesterday that Beltran would likely make his decision on a team within the next week. So far this winter there has been a strong amount of interest in the All-Star’s services, however according to Fox Sports, the Indians became a “legitimate player” for Beltran on Wednesday.

Other teams believed to be interested in Beltran’s services are the St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, and the Tampa Bay Rays.

Beltran, 34, just finished a seven-year $119 million contract which he signed with the New York Mets in 2005. The slugging outfielder played seven seasons with New York before being traded mid-way through 2011 to the San Francisco Giants.

In 142 games last season, Beltran hit .300/.385/.525 with 22 home runs and 84 RBI. The performance was considered one of the best comebacks of the year, as Beltran had failed to play more than 81 games in a season since 2008. Before being traded to San Francisco, Beltran was named to his sixth All-Star team.

Free-agent outfielder Carlos Beltran is expected to make a decision on his future sometime within the next week, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

It is believed five different teams are in the mix for the switch-hitter, including the St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Colorado Rockies and one unknown.

Beltran, 34, just finished a seven-year $119 million contract which he signed with the New York Mets in 2005. The slugging outfielder played seven seasons with New York before being traded mid-way through 2011 to the San Francisco Giants.

In 142 games last season, Beltran hit .300/.385/.525 with 22 home runs and 84 RBI. The performance was considered one of the best comebacks of the year, as Beltran had failed to play more than 81 games in a season since 2008. Before being traded to San Francisco, Beltran was named to his sixth All-Star team.

Once a world-class centerfielder, it is believed that Beltran would best serve a team as a corner outfielder or even as the designated hitter at this point in his career. In 2011, the former Gold Glove award winner posted a -7.3 UZR overall, a far cry from the 12.4 UZR he posted for the New York Mets in 2008 in his last full season.

The Toronto Blue Jays, St. Louis Cardinals, Colorado Rockies and two mystery teams are all making a strong push for free-agent outfielder Carlos Beltran, according to CBS Sports.

Beltran, 34, just finished a seven-year $119 million contract which he signed with the New York Mets in 2005. The slugging outfielder played seven seasons with New York before being traded mid-way through 2011 to the San Francisco Giants.

In 142 games last season, Beltran hit .300/.385/.525 with 22 home runs and 84 RBI. The performance was considered one of the best comebacks of the year, as Beltran had failed to play more than 81 games in a season since 2008. Before being traded to San Francisco, Beltran was named to his sixth All-Star team.

Once a world-class centerfielder, it is believed that Beltran would best serve a team as a corner outfielder or even as the designated hitter at this point in his career. In 2011, the former Gold Glove award winner posted a -7.3 UZR overall, a far cry from the 12.4 UZR he posted for the New York Mets in 2008 in his last full season.

The Boston Red Sox have reportedly targeted outfielder Carlos Beltran, according to Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman. A baseball executive reportedly told Heyman that the All-Star free-agent could get a two-year deal.

Beltran, 34, just finished a seven-year $119 million contract which he signed with the New York Mets in 2005. The slugging outfielder played seven seasons with New York before being traded mid-way through 2011 to the San Francisco Giants.

In 142 games last season, Beltran hit .300/.385/.525 with 22 home runs and 84 RBI. The performance was considered one of the best comebacks of the year, as Beltran had failed to play more than 81 games in a season since 2008. Before being traded to San Francisco, Beltran was named to his sixth All-Star team.

The Red Sox are likely eyeing Beltran to serve as the team’s starting right-fielder after previous starter J.D. Drew became a free-agent this fall. If the team signs Beltran, he would join Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford in Boston’s outfield.